"From the Museum's Trunk" Sorochky Exhibit at UNM, Chicago

Bead embroidered 'sorochka', UNM Collection

The embroidered "sorochky" exhibit opened Fri, Jun 9th, 2012, and will be on display for two months. There are 88 chemises from the Ukrainian National Museum Collection brilliantly exhibited on walls and a trunk, dramatically featured in a few frames and shown in full costume with bilingual ethnographic information. These were adorned with traditional beadwork: 'korali', 'gerdany', a Lemko 'kryza', a 'dukatch' pendant. And this the tip of the iceberg! There are about 158 'sorochky' from the XIX to XX centuries in their archives. See their video for an idea of what to expect.

East "sorochky' wall. Zakarpattia, Opillia & Volyn mannequins.

Row of "sorochky' on the east wall

The Dnipro Region, UNM Collection

On the way back from the Bead and Button show Monday we specially stopped in Chicago to view this folk art exhibit. Am I ever thankful we did! This was lucky for me, but I assure you this display is well worth the drive!!

Sorochky Exhibit at UNM, Chicago

Could not believe how prevalent the floral motif was in so many 'sorochky'... And how many interpretations and stylizations there were!! We left with a great respect for the culture, tradition, symbolism and awe at the genius of the creators of these works of art. 

I now have great material for future visual presentations. My next inspirational one is for this October's Creativ Festival. It's called "Nature Reinterpreted: Adornments and Decor".

From the East Wall of the Sorochky Exhibit

"Tour of Gerdany Regions" started at UM-A, Ohio

These presentations premiered at the Ukrainian Museum-Archives in Cleveland on Aug 12th. Luckily for me, The Hnatiuk Collection was on exhibit in the Gallery where I was to hold my Gerdany Workshops on Saturday.

 The Hnatiuk Collection Exhibit with a gerdany workshop setup

 Kilims and 'Keptar' vests from The Hnatiuk Collection

I attended the opening of the Hnatiuk Museum in Livonia, MI in the late 1990s. So many artifacts and treasures crammed into a walkout home basement was an unforgettable sight! I was just getting into beadwork and fascinated by a showcase with shelves full of gerdany. These photos start off my Beadwork Photo Album.

'Sorochka', The Hnatiuk Collection

Kudos to UM-A Curator, Aniza Kraus, for the dramatic display of a selection of embroidered 'sorochky, keptari and kilims'. By focusing on the production of the fibers and materials, the exhibit was educational. The UM-A published a book using The Hnatiuk Collection as the basis for scholarly articles on textiles from the XIX & XXth centuries with 400 great photos for reference.

Friday night at the Rypan "Movies", UM-A

My PowerPoint presentation was held in the Museum main room on Friday night. The "Ethnographic Region Tour" was a hit for the North American viewer. It was a great intro to the "Gerdany Regions" of western Ukraine. Here the viewers saw an ethnographic region map introducing multiple slides of gerdany beading from different regions. They could get an appreciation for the various styles of beading, colors and motifs.

Learning different styles of gerdany-making at UM-A

There were two contemporary beadwork Gerdany Workshops on Saturday. 

Maria helps Jennie Bochar learn how to bead

Best treat for me was the collection of beadwork Jennie brought for Show & Tell. Among the gerdany, there were her Baba's pieces brought over when she was 16 years old. I never say such a tiny Lemko 'kryza'!

 100+ year old 'kryza', J. Bochar Collection

'Kryza' details, J. Bochar Collection